The top ongoing mega projects in Ethiopia aim to transform the livelihoods of the millions in the part of the sub-Saharan region. Ethiopia is among East Africa countries that has been ranked to have a fertile land for construction business to flourish. The construction industry in the region is growing and offering a green market through the various ongoing mega projects.
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Addis-Africa International Convention & Exhibition Center (AAICEC)
The Addis-Africa International Convention & Exhibition Center (AAICEC) is one of the top ongoing mega projects in Ethiopia. It is a public-private investment venture which envisages establishing an International Convention and Exhibition Center in Addis Ababa.
The project is expected to cost more than $50 billion dollars. For the first time, the founding of AAICEC S.C. has brought together the chamber system, government, and business community in a new type of collaboration exhibited in joint project finance and management. After starting the first phase of construction in 2017, the AAICEC is expected to be fully operational in seven years after the completion of all construction phases.
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam US $4.8bn
The GERD project has been under construction since 2011. It is in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia, about 15 km (9 mi) east of the border with Sudan. At 6,450 MW, the dam will be the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa when completed, as well as the 7th largest in the world.
The project has however faced various challenges including the regional dispute over the flow of river Nile, delays and also cancellation of the initial contract with METEC which is run by the Ethiopian Military.
Lapsset project
Being a part of Kenyan project, Lappset is also part of the top ongoing mega projects in Ethiopia. On March 2, 2012, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, and South Sudanese President Salva Kiir inaugurated LAPSSET.
The LAPSSET Corridor Program, which connects Kenya, Ethiopia, and South Sudan, is Eastern Africa’s largest and most ambitious infrastructure project. This mega project includes a new 32-berth port in Lamu, Kenya; interregional highways from Lamu to Isiolo, Isiolo to Juba (South Sudan), Isiolo to Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), and Lamu to Garsen (Kenya); Crude Oil Pipeline from Lamu to Isiolo, Isiolo to Juba; Product Oil Pipeline from Lamu to Isiolo, Isiolo to Addis Ababa; and Interregional Standard Gauge Railway lines from Lamu to Isiolo, Isiolo to Juba, Isiolo to Addis Ababa, and Nairobi to Isiolo; 3 International Airports: one each at Lamu, Isiolo, and Lake Turkana; 3 Resort Cities: one each at Lamu, Isiolo and Lake Turkana; and The multipurpose High Grand Falls Dam along the Tana River.
Bole International Airport
Bole International Airport is set to become the largest airport in Africa. It is located in Bishoftu, a town located 39km South East of the capital Addis Ababa. The US $5bn airport is expected to cover an area of 35 square kilometers and will have a capacity to handle 100 million passengers every year.
As it stands, Bole International Airport has a capacity to handle 19 million passengers annually. The new airport is also expected to significantly reduce congestion at Bole. The rapid growth of Ethiopian Airlines, being the largest airline in Africa by fleet size and revenue, has not kept up with the air infrastructure.
Tams Hydropower project
The TAMS hydropower project is a proposed multipurpose project in Southwestern Ethiopia’s Baro River basin. The project region is located at the crossroads of the Baro River basin’s descending, densely forested highlands and the alluvial, fertile plains of the lower Baro River.
The planned TAMS reservoir would have a live storage of 4.8 billion m³, a dam height of 248 m and a 76 km2 reservoir area. In a country where development is hampered by electricity shortages, the hydroelectric plant would meet a large portion of the region’s energy demand. The Tams Hydropower Project is one of Ethiopia’s greatest infrastructure projects.
Fairfax Oil Refinery project
In 2018, a US-based investment business partnered with Asian partners to construct an oil refinery in Ethiopia. The $4 billion project is anticipated to benefit the country as well as the rest of East Africa.
The refinery will be located in Awash, Ethiopia’s eastern town, around 220 kilometers from the capital Addis Ababa. It will have a capacity of 120,000 barrels per day. This is the equivalent of 6 million metric tons of crude oil.
La Gare
The former Addis Ababa central train station is the site of La Gare, a 36-hectare mixed-use residential complex. It will be a $1.5 billion complex with 4,000 houses, hotels, retail, and leisure services when fully completed.
If the project succeeds, it will demonstrate that Addis Ababa can support a commercial real estate market, which will strengthen the city’s design and finance sectors and attract outside investment. It will also be a success for Ethiopia in its quest to become a middle-income country.
Mesob Tower
Mesob Tower is unique and reflects Ethiopia’s culture. The public-private partnership development upon completion, will contribute to, inflow of tourists and will also enhance the positive image of the country.
The 70-storey development will be located in the country’s capital city, in Addis Ababa. It will be 250 metres high and will sit on a 20,000 square meters of land. The US $681m project will feature hotels, shopping malls, a cultural center representative of all regions of Ethiopia, a gym and a golf club, among other things. The development is projected to be completed in five years’ time.
Adwa Center
The Adwa Memorial Museum, an amphitheater, libraries, and youth centers are among the multipurpose units in the project, which is intended to be the largest of its kind in the country. The Adwa Center is being built on 3.3 hectares of land in the middle of the capital city.
The $90.46 million mega project includes state-of-the-art parking with a capacity of over 1,000 cars at a time. Adwa the center is expected to serve as a platform for reinvigorating the spirit of Pan-Africanism as a memorial center for the African Victory.
The Addis Ababa City Administration stated on March 1, 2022 that the Adwa Zero Km Mega Project, which is being built in the area of Emperor Menelik II, has reached 75 percent of its stage towards completion.
Aluto–Langano Geothermal Power Project
The Aluto–Langano Geothermal Power Project, also known as Aluto Langano Geothermal Power Project, is being developed within the dormant Aluto volcano, a volcanic complex of the Ethiopian Rift valley trending NNW–SSE with several craters up to 1 km wide, between Lake Langano and Ziway.
The site already has a geothermal power plant, the only one of its kind in the East African Country, that began operation in 1998 with a net production capacity of 7.3 MW. The station has however been shut down since 2018 due to steam-induced corrosion, hydrothermal blockages and steam line leaks.
Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) is carrying out the project in two phases the first of which involves the purchase of drilling rigs while the second involves the provision of drilling services. Upon completion, the Aluto–Langano Geothermal Power Station will be operated by Aluto Langano Geothermal Wellhead Power System, a company wholly owned by the Ethiopian state-owned company EEP.
